


Someone will reach out a hand and show you a safe place to land

by makesometime



Series: The Heart of Aphrodite 2021 [6]
Category: Rusty Quill Gaming (Podcast)
Genre: Afterlife, Friendship, Gen, Gods, Temporary Character Death, The Heart of Aphrodite 2021
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-13
Updated: 2021-02-13
Packaged: 2021-03-13 06:08:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 652
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29397441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/makesometime/pseuds/makesometime
Summary: Azu finds out what's waiting for her, at the proper end of things.
Relationships: Aphrodite & Azu (Rusty Quill Gaming)
Series: The Heart of Aphrodite 2021 [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2150616
Comments: 18
Kudos: 24
Collections: The Heart of Aphrodite





	Someone will reach out a hand and show you a safe place to land

**Author's Note:**

> Day 6: _“When you consider things like the stars, our affairs don’t seem to matter very much, do they?” -Virginia Woolf_
> 
> **The Vast** \- Self Sacrifice - Indulgence
> 
> (Title from A safe place to land by Sara Bareilles)

Azu opens her eyes.

The desperate aching in her body is gone, the throbbing, pulling, broken hurts are nothing but a memory. She is safe, she is whole. That much she knows

Her eyes hurt as she looks around at where she finds herself. The landscape is familiar, from the colour of the earth and the set of the trees to the distant rise of mountains. It somehow feels too bright, too real and too _ethereal._

It is only when she looks _up_ that she realises the radiance isn’t coming from any sun, but from the shining, open face of her goddess, smiling down at her.

“Azu, darling. I am glad to see you here.” She says, leaning in so that her face is almost uncomfortably close, so large, so beautiful. Azu’s breath catches. “I have been making this place for you for some time, though I didn’t know when to expect you.”

“I hope I’m not too early.”

Aphrodite’s laugh floods over her, warm and tender. “Dearest. You _are_. You have many more years to spend with your friends.”

Azu hesitates when a large hand appears in front of her, slowly reaching out and curling her tiny palm over it, then marvelling as it shrinks down to encompass hers perfectly.

“Allow me to show you around, so that you know what’s awaiting you.”

It’s only when Azu takes a look around after the wide inviting sweep of Aphrodite’s arm that she realises it wasn’t her goddess that shrunk but herself that _grew_ , and she now stands tall and vast over the realm that will one day be hers to enjoy.

It is beautiful, breathtaking. It is everything she might have asked for. But it is _vast_ and she feels its emptiness like a gaping hole in her chest.

“Will I be alone here?”

“No, no darling.” Aphrodite smiles, leaning in and resting her chin on Azu’s shoulder, linking arms around her waist. “When you are _meant_ to be here, you will be free to have whomever would make you happy. You are also welcome to visit others - I have heard from one of my father’s other daughters that there is a paladin excited for your company in his Hunt.”

Azu’s heart leaps and she smiles through her tears, bringing her hands to cover Aphrodite’s. “Thank you, my Lady.”

Aphrodite’s kiss feels like a tender brand on her cheek. “Of course, my paladin. How could I not reward someone who is set to save the world and all within it?” She pauses, holding Azu a little tighter. “Now, dearest. I will see you soon. But there are people now who need you. Hold on, darling. The pain will stop soon.”

Azu feels the renewed force of her injuries hit her in a wave of _hurt_ so fierce that not even the phantom press of Aphrodite’s arms around her can stop it from agonising all the way down to her soul. She winces, trying to breathe around the pain and the warmth and the flood of healing energy that she knows someone, somewhere is channeling into her.

_Azu. Azu, c’mon. Azu please. We need you._

She exhales and it makes her cough, a heavy, wracking thing. Her head is resting on someone’s thighs and she looks up to find Oscar’s face above her, lined with dirt and fear.

“Oh thank the gods. Zolf! Zolf, she’s back you can stop.”

She glances around, finding Zolf half-slumped over her, exhausted and drained. Beside him, Hamid flutters anxiously, hands wringing. Cel whoops around a mouthful of inhuman teeth, flopping back onto the ground beside her.

She smiles, only a little mournful as the godly arms around her start to fade away. She will feel them again. She will be in her own personal afterlife once more, at a better time. An earned time.

And eventually, she will be able to show all of these people too.


End file.
